Hilary Could Be the First Tropical Storm to Hit California in More than 80 Years

Hurricane Hilary, a powerful Category 4 storm brewing off the coast Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, is making its way towards the Pacific coast. It’s projected to hit southwestern California as a tropical storm — the first since 1939 — by Monday, bringing dangerously high winds and torrential rain over the weekend.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts Hilary will make landfall in Baja on Sunday as a hurricane but lose strength as it makes its way north. It’s expected to hit Southern California as a tropical storm, peaking this weekend into Monday. Hilary’s monsoonal rains will cause flash, urban and arroyo flooding on Saturday with the potential for “significant impacts,” the NHC said.

The storm will envelop southwestern California, with San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties all under a flood watch from Saturday night through Monday night, according to National Weather Service predictions. The heavy rains could result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and low-lying areas.